Scott Wykoff's Blog

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Let The Signing Begin

That's the best way I know of describing the fan experience at Ravens training camp in Westminster.

It's an experience like no other for anyone filled with purple passion. Especially when it comes to kids. Part of that experience for some fans is getting autographs.

There's been a lot of talk in the last few weeks about how the team's decision to institute a new autograph policy at training camp. A "kids only" policy when it comes to autographs after each morning practice.

CLICK HEREto learn more about the Ravens new training camp autograph policy

Right after the first "kids only" autograph session after the first practice at training camp I saw plenty of smiling young faces of little Ravens fans who were walking back to their parents with their prized possessions. They had just lived the dream. They were walking away from training camp with autographs from Ravens players.

There were plenty of parents who told me how much they liked the new autograph policy. Some said they thought it was safer for the little Ravens fans. Some said it was easier for their kids to get the autographs. Some said they thought autographs were meant for kids and they didn't mind that adults were not allowed to line-up to get autographs at training camp.

To a person, each and every parent I spoke to on the the first day of training camp loved the new policy.

There were also Ravens fans at that first practice of training camp who said they didn't like the new "kids only" autograph policy at all. One dad told me he was upset that his son couldn't take his binder full of player pictures into the area were kids lined-up on the field to get their autographs. That's because the new policy also limits children between the age of 6 and 15 to a single item to be autographed by the players. Hence binders full of photos are no longer allowed.

One Ravens fan in his purple t-shirt told me he understands both sides of the issue when it comes to the new autographs policy in Westminster. The 61-year-old said he could see why a person with a personal seat license might feel deprived. But at the same time he said unfortunately he realizes that some adult fans in the past would get autographs after the morning practice at McDaniel College and have the autographed item up on eBay before the afternoon practice even gets started.

Kevin Byrne told me after the first autograph session under the new policy that he thought it went well. Kevin has seen plenty of training camp autograph sessions in his day. The Ravens Senior Vice President of Public and Community Relations has been with the team since the day it moved here from Cleveland and before that he was the longtime public relations director for the Cleveland Browns. Can you say he has been doing this for more than 30 years!

"For these first couple days we don't have huge crowds because the veterans aren't here yet," Byrne told me on the field after watching the kids get their autographs. "But we had a nice test. The kids seemed to like it and the players seemed to have a good time with it."

I really noticed what Kevin was talking about when it comes to how the players interacted with the kids. Without adults reaching out with items to be autographed, it seemed like the players (including Joe Flacco above) were engaging more with the kids as they signed autographs.

Kevin even said he had to pull Joe Flacco away from the autograph line so he could do media interviews. He said Joe was having so much fun with the kids he didn't want to leave.

While I know autographs mean a lot to plenty of adults for many different reasons, to me there is nothing quite like the look on a kids face when he's getting an autograph from a Ravens player on the field in his uniform after practice.